What are the causes of blood in the urine?

Doctor's Answers 2

The most common cause of blood in the urine is still urinary tract infection. Typically, this is also associated with pain with the passage of blood in the urine.

The other common cause would be urinary tract stones. Stones can be found in the kidney, the ureter, the bladder or even the urethra. These stones can cause bleeding as they move along the urinary tract.

For men, especially more senior individuals, the prostate can be the cause of blood in the urine as enlargement of the prostate can also be associated with the growth of more blood vessels, making it more prone to bleeding.

The most important condition that a urologist would want to rule out would be malignancy or cancer of the urinary tract, most common being bladder cancer.

Passing blood in the urine is NOT normal. A trip down to the urologist's office is definitely warranted.

There are many causes of blood in the urine (hematuria). To list, here are a few causes:

  • Kidney stones
  • Urinary tract infection (UTI)
  • Enlarged prostate
  • Tumours
  • Glomerulonephritis - also known as kidney inflammation

Apart from that, in some rare cases, vigorous exercises can cause blood in the urine.

10% of people with visible blood in urine have bladder cancer. Hematuria is a symptom of bladder cancer. This is why it is very important that you consult a doctor even if it only happens once. Moreover, it can happen randomly.

You may refer to this comprehensive article on what hematuria is, its causes, and how you can prevent and treat hematuria.

Similar Questions

How does a urine cytology help to detect urinary tract cancers?

Urine cytology is the examination of urothelial cells under the microscope. This allows assessing the cellular nature of the urothelial cells. We study the nuclear and cytoplasmic features which may suggest a urothelial malignancy. Voided urinary cytology is recommended in all patients who have risk factors for urothelial carcinoma. The sensitivity of voided urine cytology for detection of urothelial neoplasm ranges from 18% to 76% and is dependent on factors such as tumor grade, the number of specimens examined, and the expertise of the cytopathologist.

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Answered By

Dr Jipson Quah

General Practitioner

When does a doctor order for urine cytology to be done and what is it good for?

Urine cytology is useful for patients on surveillance after treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract (e. g. urethra, bladder, ureters, renal pelvis). This is when the urine is sent to the laboratory to be looked under a microscope to detect cancer cells. High-grade transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and carcinoma-in-situ of the urinary tract is known to shed these cancer/carcinoma cells into the urine and these abnormal cells will be picked up when the urine sample is sent for cytology.

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